Sepsis Alliance joins GatherIQ to bring awareness to 'silent killer'

CARY, N.C., Sept. 23, 2017 : Sepsis kills nearly 260,000 people every year, yet more than 40 percent of adults have never heard of it. Sepsis is the body's life-threatening response to infection, which can lead to tissue damage, organ failure and death.

Every minute counts, and prompt administration of antibiotics and fluids is critical. Raising awareness of sepsis as a medical emergency is key to saving lives and reducing suffering - and that is why the Sepsis Alliance joined SAS' GatherIQ initiative.

GatherIQ is a crowdsourcing effort from SAS that brings together thoughtful, concerned citizens to lend their skills to help answer questions posed by nonprofit organizations on the front lines of global challenges. GatherIQ volunteers will analyze data created in SAS Visual Analytics from years of nationwide sepsis surveys to determine areas most in need of education and awareness and how they've changed over time.

"More Americans have heard of Ebola, a nearly nonexistent condition in the US, than sepsis - a condition that affects more than 1.6 million Americans every year," said Thomas Heymann, President of Sepsis Alliance. "As a medical emergency requiring early detection and treatment, recognizing symptoms is critical to saving lives. Insights we learn from this project will help us maximize resources and become more strategic in developing future campaigns to increase awareness of this silent killer."

In order to identify sepsis, people need to understand what it is. It can develop from any type of infection - internal or external - and at any time. It attacks the young and the old, the well and the sick. Sepsis Alliance strives to help the general public become aware of this often deadly condition, as well as educate health care professionals on early detection and rapid response.

"By rallying the power of the crowd through GatherIQ, we can help Sepsis Alliance better understand where awareness is low in each geography, age group, income bracket, and other areas, as well as where Sepsis Alliance's campaigns could have the most impact," said I-Sah Hsieh, Director of Corporate Social Innovation at SAS. "It is an honor to provide insights to those who are passionate about bringing awareness to this deadly but very treatable condition."

Since the April introduction of the GatherIQ iOS app, the user interface has been enhanced to streamline navigation and make it even more user-friendly and intuitive. GatherIQ is currently available from Apple's App Store. A web application is expected later this year, followed by an Android version.

Sepsis Alliance is the latest nonprofit organization to join GatherIQ, collaborating with SAS and crowdsourced volunteers to learn more from their data. Each GatherIQ project encourages individuals to contribute their time, knowledge and analytic skills to help solve humanitarian, educational and environmental issues facing the global community. The International Organization for Migration is using GatherIQ to analyze migrant travel patterns, reducing risks of migration and shaping policies that provide more humane outcomes. World Wildlife Fund recently joined the effort to narrow the learning gap for tomorrow's conservationists by connecting them with relevant learning opportunities worldwide.